Genre: Historical Fiction

Last year I read and adored Marci Jefferson’s Girl on the Golden Coin. When I was offered the opportunity to review her second novel, Enchantress of Paris, I couldn’t say no. I’m so glad I didn’t pass up the chance because Jefferson’s newest is wonderfully written and a must read for any fan of historical fiction! We have good character development. When we first meet Marie Mancini, she’s a teenager on the cusp of womanhood. Her father was an Italian aristocrat who was also a well known astrologer. Marie is naive, but it’s her naiveté that makes her a breath of fresh air! You can feel her frustration at the way things are and will cheer her on as she blossoms. We have a wide array of historical figures who… Read more »

I really enjoyed Kate Forsyth’s Bitter Greens last year and when the opportunity was offered to review The Wild Girl, I couldn’t pass up the chance! I was curious to know more about Dortchen Wild, the girl who grew up next to the Grimm family and who would ultimately steal Wilhelm Grimm’s heart. The Wild Girl is a moving tale and reminds that she did not live a fairytale life. We have good characterization and a lot of vital characters. Our heroine is Dortchen Wild, the second youngest of six daughters; her life was in many ways preplanned. Dortchen would be the one to stay home to take care of her parents as they aged and her upbringing was strict. She’s a dreamer and longs to be with people. I… Read more »

I got the opportunity to review Paula Brackston’s The Midnight Witch last year and I really enjoyed her writing. When the chance came to review The Silver Witch, I couldn’t pass up the chance! Brackston’s easily become one of my favorite new authors. And before I talk about the book, let’s take a moment to admire the cover! It’s beautiful and trust me, in person the colors are just lovely! This is definitely one book you’ll want to add to your collection based on the cover alone. We have great characterization! Tilda Fordwells is a widow who lives in Wales and decides to live in the house her and husband had planned on living in. Immediately she begins to have odd experiences. She can’t explain them but at the same… Read more »

Tasha Alexander’s Lady Emily series has been on my radar for a few years and I finally decided to give the first book, And Only to Deceive, a read because I love the synopsis to the ninth book, The Counterfeit Heiress. I wasn’t sure if this is one of those series where you have to read the first in order to understand or enjoy the rest of the books and therefore decided to start at the beginning. We have good character development. Our main heroine is Emily, Lady Ashton who is a young widow. She’s your typical Victorian woman and struggles to break free from society rules and one way she does this, is to marry Viscount Ashton. Throughout the novel, we see her transformation with Emily developing her own… Read more »

When I first heard about Kate Forsyth’s Bitter Greens, it was around this time last year and really wished it was available in the US, but alas it wasn’t. Fast forward to later this year and imagine my surprise and delight to open my mailbox and there waiting for me was a review copy! I adored Bitter Greens and took my time reading it because I wanted to savor it and hoped it would never end. Ah, Rapnzel! What a beautiful enchanting story Forsyth has given us. As for characterization, we have three strong female characters. With regards to the narrative, Forsyth interweaves three narratives; two in the past with one in the present. Set in the 16th and 17th century, Bitter Greens begins with our main heroine, Charlotte-Rose de… Read more »

Imagine for a moment that there was more to the story of your favorite childhood book and more than one side to the tale? Welcome to Lisa Jensen’s Alias Hook, where the infamous Captain Hook is doomed to spend eternity in Neverland and forced to relive his death. We have good character development, though Jensen does focus a lot on Hook’s character. It makes sense since this is his story. Meet Captain James Benjamin Hookbridge, an educated privateer and the son of gentleman. His father wants him to marry, but Hook wants to do things on his own terms. I won’t go into detail regarding what’s expected of Hook because I want you to meet him and get to know him as I did. Then there’s Stella Parrish, who may… Read more »

Paula Brackston is a new author to me and I admit I’ve never heard of her before. When I received an ARC for The Midnight Witch, I was intrigued and part of that has to do with the gorgeous cover (and the hardback is even more beautiful in person!). I had planned to read Brackston’s backlist starting with The Witch’s Daughter before starting The Midnight Witch so I could become familiar with Brackston’s writing, but decided to delve right in. If you’ve never read Brackston’s books it’s not necessary to do in order to enjoy The Midnight Witch. Brackston does a great job explaining terms such as necromancer and other terms related to the paranormal and being unfamiliar with aspects of the paranormal won’t hinder your reading experience. We have… Read more »

If one word could be used to describe Marci Jefferson Girl on the Golden Coin, it would be: captivating. It’s beautiful, lush, and breathtaking. I didn’t want it to end! Not many people may know the story of Frances Stuart, but no doubt you’ve seen the image of Britannia on British currency. Dressed in roman robes, she’s seated holding a trident while wearing a Corinthian helmet and beside her is a shield depicting the unification of Scotland and England. In 1672, Frances served as the model for Britannia and since then has been featured on medals and coins. She’s since been retired, but in 2006 appeared on the fifty pence. Right in front of me as I write this review is that fifty pence though I’m lucky to have several… Read more »

I’ll be up front and state how excited I was to read Antoinette van Heugten’s The Tulip Eaters and when the opportunity came to review it, I couldn’t pass up the chance. While I liked van Heugten’s writing, overall The Tulip Eaters falls a bit short. Imagine coming home after a tiring day at work and your worst nightmare has come true. Your mother has been murdered and your daughter is missing. That’s exactly what has happened to Nora de Jong and while the police try to piece together who the dead man on the floor is, Nora only wants to know the fate of her daughter. Days pass and still no word regarding her daughter when Nora suddenly discovers a family secret. Little does she know, her world is… Read more »

Carolly Erickson’s The Spanish Queen is a fictionalized autobiography of Catherine of Aragon. Erickson recreates Catherine’s departure from Spain to England and we spend our time in Tudor court. As a sixteen year old, Catherine of Aragon makes the journey from Spain to England but prior to her departure, Queen Isabella asks her to wear her wedding dress. Everyone around her says it will bring bad luck, but Catherine complies. Shortly afterwards, Catherine is told she’s cursed after a series of events prevent her departure from Spain. She decides to continue with her travel plans and arrives in England where she’ll marry Henry VII’s son, Arthur. Her marriage to Arthur doesn’t last long and finds herself developing a friendship with Henry VIII. She waits quietly in the wings unsure of… Read more »

We’ve all heard of Anna Anderson, the woman who claimed she was Anastasia Romanov and later proved she was fraud. The fate of the Romanovs is a heartbreaking tale and one that continues to fascinate new generations. Jennifer Laam’s The Secret Daughter of the Tsar is an intriguing tale about Empress Alexandra Romanov and her desire to have a son. Russian history professor, Veronica Herrea, is working on a book about Alexandra Romanov. Meeting with the department chair, she’s told she must produce a high quality book if she wants tenure and the odds aren’t in her favor. Frustrated she begins to look at other avenues of research. Then she meets the mysterious Michael Karstadt who has a secret. He offers to assist in her research and Veronica isn’t sure… Read more »

Daniel Kalla’s Rising Sun, Falling Shadow is the highly anticipated sequel to The Far Side of the Sky. If you’re worried about spoilers, you won’t find any major ones preventing you from enjoying Rising Sun. Kalla provides enough back-story and allows a reader to delve right in without being lost. The year is 1943 and bowing to Nazi pressure, the Japanese force thousands of Jewish refugees in Shanghai to relocate. Newlyweds Franz and Sunny Adler endure the move to the ghetto and continue to operate the only hospital for Jewish refugees amid difficult conditions. While Franz is willing to make the best of the situation, Sunny wants revenge for the death of her father. She joins a resistance group, believing in their cause while Franz’s daughter, Hannah is lured into… Read more »